Will movie-theater broadcasts by Los Angeles powerhouse build audiences - or steal them from smaller orchestras?

Sunday

Jan 30, 2011 at 12:01 AMJan 30, 2011 at 1:32 PM

First the Met, now the Phil.

Another big name in music - one that could give the Columbus Symphony and other midlevel orchestras a run for their money - has come to a movie theater near you.

First the Met, now the Phil.

Another big name in music - one that could give the Columbus Symphony and other midlevel orchestras a run for their money - has come to a movie theater near you.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by dynamic young Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, is broadcasting three live Sunday concerts this season in almost 450 theaters in the United States and Canada - including five in central Ohio.

The first "LA Phil Live" concert - hosted by singer-actress Vanessa Williams and featuring the music of John Adams, Leonard Bernstein and Beethoven - originated Jan. 9 from Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The next programs will be a March 13 all-Tchaikovsky affair and a June 5 Brahms concert. Both will begin at 5 p.m.

The elaborately produced broadcasts, in high definition with surround sound, are a first for an American orchestra. They come on the heels of successful simulcast performances by New York's Metropolitan Opera that have drawn more than 2.4 million people to movie theaters since 2006.

As with the Met broadcasts, for which tickets cost about $20, theatergoers enjoy intimate views of performers shot with a dozen cameras - including remote-controlled devices nestled among musicians - and also get live backstage interviews and recorded footage of rehearsals. Nationwide, LA Phil tickets cost $18 to $22.

Promoters insist that the broadcasts won't compete with performances by the Columbus Symphony and other orchestras but will expand interest in the art form and attract new audiences to live classical music in nearby concert halls.

"Anytime that you raise awareness of any type of entertainment in a community, the fans go out and become ambassadors for that form of entertainment," said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom Entertainment, based in suburban Denver.

The entertainment company produces both the Met and LA Phil broadcasts.

Roland Valliere, president and chief creative officer of the Columbus Symphony, isn't so sure.

Valliere, who is moving the orchestra toward more interactive performances while exploring ways to deliver content with smart-phone applications and Internet downloads, is intrigued by the LA Phil technology but wary of the ramifications.

"It's a land grab," he said, but he acknowledged that it's too early to tell whether classical concertgoers will forsake the Ohio Theatre for a neighborhood cineplex on a regular basis.

Press Southworth, executive director of Opera Columbus, said the "Met Live in HD" series hadn't attracted new patrons to central Ohio opera performances.

"I think (Met promoters) would like to think it would create a new audience for opera, but I don't think it's done that whatsoever," he said.

When the Met Live performances started, Opera Columbus employees and volunteers handed out fliers at movie theaters promoting area opera productions, but the effort didn't translate into ticket sales and was ended.

On the plus side, he said, central Ohio audiences haven't been siphoned away by the Met.

"I don't know that it has hurt us, but it hasn't helped us, either," Southworth said.

Met simulcasts began in 100 theaters and have expanded to more than 600 theaters and performing-arts centers, said Diamond, who expects the audience for LA Phil performances to follow a similar growth trajectory.

About 25 people were on hand at Crosswoods for the show, many of them up in years and Columbus Symphony regulars.

Among the first to arrive were Ivan Mueller, 81, of Hilliard, his wife, Marianne, and their friend Jutta Neckermann of Upper Arlington. The women declined to give their age.

All regular patrons of the Columbus Symphony, they were excited to be seeing and hearing a world-renowned orchestra without leaving town.

"Obviously, . . . (the Los Angeles Philharmonic) is not going to come here, but this is a great opportunity for people who love classical music," Mr. Mueller said.

Donald and Elaine Lakin, also of Hilliard and both in their early 70s, said they were given tickets to the show as a Christmas gift from their son.

"I've never been to one of these simulcasts, but I've read about it and I'm curious," Donald Lakin said.

Ken and Kate Hlad, both 40, traveled from Mansfield because they wanted to support Dudamel, 29, classical music's reigning rock star and the youngest maestro of any major orchestra. They had seen him profiled on 60 Minutes and were impressed by his efforts to engage young musicians in his homeland and Los Angeles.

Said Mrs. Hlad: "I've just got a really good feeling about this man and his mission."

The youngest member of the audience was Breanna Bertacchi, 18, of Dublin, a violinist in the Columbus School for Girls orchestra who was there to write a report for school.

Given the option of attending a ProMusica Chamber Orchestra concert or the LA Phil broadcast, she chose the latter because she loves Beethoven and was intrigued by the novelty and convenience of the venue.

Besides the music, she enjoyed the backstage chitchat and interviews with Dudamel and others.

"I had no idea what to expect, but I loved how they had interviews with the conductor and even the business manager of the orchestra," she said. "I adored it."

jsheban@dispatch.com

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